1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an embolic protection device and, more particularly, to an embolic protection device with a locking device for releasably locking the embolic protection device onto a guidewire.
2. Description of the Related Art
An embolic protection device includes a filter that captures embolic material released during an interventional procedure for treating stenosis of a patient's blood vessel. Such an embolic protection device is described in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2002/0049467 A1, 2002/0026213 A1, 2002/0002384 A1, and 2003/0032977 A1. The entire disclosures of these publications are incorporated herein by reference.
In an embolic protection device, a filter is deployed at a location within the patient's blood vessel which allows it to capture released embolic material. After a stenosis has been treated, the filter is retracted. For example, the embolic filter may abut a stop provided at a distal end of a guidewire. The filter may be pressed against the stop either: by advancing the filter toward the stop using a retrieval catheter, or by retracting the guidewire until the stop abuts the filter. When the filter and stop on the guidewire abut, the stop maintains the position of the filter against the force of the advancing retrieval catheter, thereby allowing the retrieval catheter to move over and collapse the filter. The collapsed filter can then be retracted from the blood vessel.
It would be beneficial to provide an embolic filter that can be used with any guidewire and, in particular, a guidewire that does not have a stop for abutting against the filter, i.e., a so-called “barewire.”